Tag: creative writing
-
Your Past Is a Treasure Trove – Use It!
There’s an old saying that you can’t go home again. But that phrase is in direct contradiction with the popular scribe’s adage to “write what you know.” When trying to come up with ideas, look no further than your past. If you are a fiction writer, your life’s experiences are amazing and worthy of exploration. …
-
The Myth Of Uninterrupted Writing Time
There’s a mythical tale about the writer who wrote, uninterrupted, day after day after day. The world outside stayed away, society kept at bay, and the writer wrote what he may. Inspiration struck, which was always his luck, and nothing he ever wrote sucked. Yeah, no. That’s not the real world. If you’re a writer…
-
Finding Your Character’s Voice
Oftentimes people come up with a wonderful story idea, plot it out intricately, and then get to writing. After awhile, though, they begin to realize that all of the characters sound the same. An important step got skipped — character work. Two prominent opinions abound in the writing community. The first opinion stipulates that the…
-
Need Writing Ideas? Let Me Help
People often ask me, “Where do you get your ideas?” The answer is simple but rarely satisfying to the questioner: “Everywhere.” Let me provide a little background information that will prove useful later on … I work full-time as a high school English teacher, and with that comes constant planning, educating, and assessing. I have…
-
What’s In a Name?
I’ve noticed that authors have a great deal of difficulty doing something rather necessary — naming characters. Names have such power that this endeavor should never be taken lightly. After all, the name an author assigns a character will likely outlast the author him or herself, especially if the piece catches on. Can you imagine…
-
The Joy Of Writing With Others
As you may know, I’m teaching a creative writing course this semester and I’m enjoying it more than I ever expected. My students are amazing–a dream come true. They are creative, have excellent attitudes, and don’t hesitate to get right to work on their writing. I can’t imagine a better group to initiate this new…
-
Tomorrow Begins a New Chapter In My Teaching Career
I’m so excited because tomorrow begins a new chapter in my teaching career. Tomorrow marks the first day I will teach a creative writing class. It’s hard to believe that I’ve taught for sixteen years without ever once instructing a creative writing course, but it’s true. I’m particularly excited because I can share with the…
scottwilliamfoley.com 